1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to card holders. More specifically, the invention relates to a device for temporarily storing business cards in a safe place between the time the user gets the card and the time the user permanently files the card.
2) Description of the Related Art
The prior art has sophisticated methods of storing business cards. These cards may be kept on a rotatable file where they are physically visible. They may be kept in books having transparent pockets for easy viewing while being kept safe and in order. They may be scanned into computers for permanent storage and retrieval. When a person acquires a business card that he or she intends to keep and file, the person may either immediately and temporarily store the business card in a wallet for safety and ready access or may simply put the card in a pocket or purse until access to the permanent storage location is available. Each of these methods has obvious disadvantages. Storing the card in a wallet involves retrieving the wallet, opening the wallet, inserting the card, closing the wallet, and storing the wallet. Storing the loose card in a pocket or purse runs the risk of the card being damaged or lost. Clips attached to card holders are known in the prior art.
U.S. Pat. No. D345,992, issued to Mohsen Apr. 12, 1994, teaches a tag comprising a clip, a connecting cord, and a tag with a top hole for the cord.
U.S. Pat. No. D436,724, issued to Kojoori Feb. 5, 2000, teaches a wallet and money clip combination. The clip is apparently used to hold dollar bills on the outside of the wallet and is not used for attaching the wallet to anything.
U.S. Published Pat. Application No. 2001/0032690, invented by Gribovsky and published Oct. 25, 2001, teaches a spine which is attached to a money clip. The spine also is attached to the proximal ends of two card holders. The clip serves as a money clip and does not attach the card holders to anything.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,648,832, issued to Kirshenbaum et al Mar. 14, 1972, teaches a card holder which is typically in a folded configuration. The holder cannot close if a card has been removed and not replaced, thus reminding the owner to replace the card. This device apparently works well for its intended purpose. There is no indication that the card holder is attached to anything.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,958,788, issued to Feibelman May 25, 1976, discloses a horizontal bar having a slot, which slot receives one of two curved flanges attached to a display card, thus allowing easy sliding on and off of the bar by the display card. This disclosure does not reveal clipping the card to anything.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,761,862, issued to Hiromori Aug. 9, 1998, U.S. Pat. No. 5,533,236, issued to Tseng Jul. 9, 1996, U.S. Pat. No. 5,896,624, issued to Horswell Apr. 27, 1999, U.S. Pat. No. 5,950,283, issued to Sato Sep. 14, 1999, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,374,463, issued to Kaufman Apr. 23, 2002, disclose clips having spring characteristics. The clips have bodies having a back portion and abutment portions. The abutment portions have free ends to which finger grips are attached. These clips may hold layers of paper. The clips are free standing and are not attached to anything.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,784,199, issued to Wise Nov. 15, 1988, discloses a clip which may be removably attached to a wallet. When attached, the wallet may be carried on the waistband. When detached, the wallet may be carried in the pocket. The wallet is either attached directly to the clip or not attached at all.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,435, issued to Trusty Dec. 13, 1988, discloses a carrying case and dispenser for business cards. This case forms part of a belt buckle and is thus limited in its utility.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,313,721, issued to Filden May 24, 1994, discloses a clip which may be attached to clothing. The clip is attached to a card holder or a strap attached to a card holder. While the clip is said to be composed of fewer pieces than earlier clips, it is still complex in design and requires detailed manufacturing. The clip is limited to being attached to thin materials as the holding portion of the clip depends upon a stud and a pin.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,166, issued to Roy Oct. 15, 1996, discloses a spring-biased clip attached to a connector having an attaching member with a moveable leg capable of attachment to a badge. The clip would put a shearing pressure on a carrying garment and the badge would not be protected. There is no disclosure referring to carrying cards.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,767, issued to Treske Jan. 14, 1997, discloses a card holder attached by snap members to a strap and the strap being attached to a spring clip which may be attached to an object. The card holder attaches to the strap adjacent to the clip with substantially no distance between the clip and the card holder.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,613,602, issued to Lage et al Mar. 25, 1997, discloses a device for be magnetically held to metal surfaces such as refrigerators. The device includes a clip having spring loaded legs which holds an object to be displayed. One of the legs contains a magnet which holds the clip to the metal surface. The other leg contains a carrier which includes a backing panel and a protector for holding and displaying business cards. The usefulness of this device is limited to ferrous surfaces.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,454, issued to Contarino Apr. 1, 1997, discloses an alligator clip, a chain, and a split-ring holder for a magnetically encoded card. The card carried by this device is not protected.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,653,276, issued to Niernberger Aug. 5, 1977, discloses a combination of a wallet and a money clip wherein the money clip is covered by a retaining strap. This device does not allow for the display of cards.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,718,329, issued to Ippolito et al Feb. 17, 1998, discloses a combination of a money clip and card holder. The cards fit inside the holder and are not visible.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,696, issued to Valiulis Mar. 17, 1998, discloses a transparent holder for business cards which may be supported by a hook. The hook and the card holder are made of a single piece and there is no separation between the two parts.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,108,957, issued to Zapawa Aug. 29, 2000, discloses a card holder to be worn around the neck. The whole device contains a cord which goes around the neck, a swivel which attaches to the lower end of the cord, a connecting piece between the swivel and the card holder, and the card holder. The cord is a conventional cord and the card holder hangs from the neck rather than clipping to something.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,301,751, issued to Ohlson Oct. 16, 2001, discloses a holding means which opens upwardly, a main part attached to the holding means, a hook-shaped device attached to the main part, and an identification card attached to the hook-shaped device.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,523,292, issued to Slavik Feb. 25, 2003, discloses a device for holding a greeting card to a flower stem. The device contains a clip for attaching to the stem of a plant, clothing, or a visor; an intermediate securing strand; and a casing for holding a greeting card or name tag. The casing of this invention is a hard hollow frame suitable for holding only a single card. Also, the clip is a plastic cylindrical spring which contains teeth designed to penetrate the object holding the clip.
While each of the above-described holders for cards or other objects is useful, there is room for improvement in several areas. The clip, itself should be sturdy and of such a nature that it has the ability to securely clip onto substrates of varying sizes ranging from single layers of fabric to automobile visors without doing damage to the substrate. The clip and the intermediate securing piece must be securely held to each other. It is desirable that the intermediate securing piece offers an information-carrying area. Finally, it is desirable for the card holder (hereinafter, carrier) to carry more than a single card. It is also desirable that a device be available which contains a clip securely attached to an intermediate securing piece which is attached to a second clip. Finally, it is desirable that a device be available which provides a clip which is securely attached to a card carrier, there being no danger of the clip and card carrier becoming detached.